


and i’ll patch you up

by aceflowerchild



Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: Blood, Hospitals, M/M, again nothing super serious, but in the future, canonverse, not much johnny has some cuts on his hands, theyre like 14
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 09:19:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14102298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceflowerchild/pseuds/aceflowerchild
Summary: The West Hill Gang certainly did a number on Johnny this time, and Max patches him up.





	and i’ll patch you up

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!!!! Umm so I only JUST REALIZED very recently how the last title of this fic sounded kinda dirty and that’s not what I intended AT ALL!!! I don’t ever think of the word aftercare in that context, i think of it like, you get a tattoo or a piercing and there’s an aftercare kit. Or like surgery, there are aftercare instructions. So,,,, sorry to anyone who took it the wrong way. That was not at all my intention. And if I’m just overthinking something and No One Else saw it like this then uhh,,,,,, nevermind. Enjoy the read I guess.

Max looks up from his homework as he hears a sharp tap on his window. He squints at it for a moment, but he can’t see anything from his spot on the bed so he goes back to his papers, figuring that it was probably just a squirrel or something. At least until he hears the tapping again, but this time it’s much more rhythmic. Almost like knocking..?

Now properly curious, Max leans forward and looks out of his window and when he sees Johnny Jhonny on the other side of it, he almost yells. Rather than doing that, though, he opens the window and helps Johnny in.

“Dude! What are you doing?” Max whisper-yells. He looks down at Johnny’s hands. “Holy cow, you’re bleeding! Are you okay? What happened to you?”

“Uh, yeah. Can you help me out with somethin’? I think there’s still some glass shards stuck in my hands an’ I was hoping you could take ‘em out. Also, you got any band-aids?”

Max freezes, unsure of what to do. Then he sighs heavily and stands up, leading Johnny to the bathroom where the first-aid kit is. He sits Johnny down on the toilet seat and rummages under the sink for the kit. He finally pulls it out with a flourish and turns back to Johnny. “Alright, give me your hands.” Johnny does and Max takes a second to inspect them and says, “Yeah… that doesn’t look good.”

The next few minutes are spent with Max hunched over Johnny’s hands with a pair of tweezers and Johnny breathing in sharply whenever Max touches the cuts. Once he’s sure that all of the glass is gone, Max grabs the hydrogen peroxide and some toilet paper, giving the warning of “This is gonna hurt.”

“I know, this ain’t my- SWEET MOTHER OF CHEEZITS!”

The exclamation was a result of Max not letting Johnny finish his sentence before wiping down his hands.

“What’cha do that for?” Johnny asks, hands close to his chest.

“Gives you less time to flinch away,” Max explains, searching around for Neosporin and band-aids. “Like you _always_ do,” he adds as an afterthought, looking pointedly at Johnny, who just grins right back with his shark-tooth smile.

As he finishes placing the last bandage on Johnny’s hands, Max sits back on his heels. He lets the silence site for a minute before saying, “You gonna tell me what happened?”

Johnny sticks out his jaw and looks off to the side. “Would you believe me if I said I fell down some stairs?” His voice is hopeful, but his face says that he already knows the answer.

“No.”

“Okay, it was those West Hill creeps!” Johnny turns back to face Max, fire in his eyes, and judging by the glow coming off of his recently bandaged hands, there was about to be fire there too.

Max warily places his hands on top of Johnny’s. “Babe, I know you’re angry, but maybe don’t catch fire in my bathroom?”

“Right, yeah. Anyway, they were talking smack about-” Johnny shifts his eyes away from Max’s and continues in a quieter voice, “…about you.” Then, louder, “And RJ!”

“Johnny, you’re almost _fifteen_ you can’t keep solving your problems with violence.” Despite his words, Max is smiling fondly.

Johnny scoffs. “Maybe _you_ can’t.”

“No, Johnny, seriously. You’re gonna get in big trouble one of these days. Like legal trouble. Although I’m still not even sure if Mayview _has_ law enforcement.” Max mutters the last bit under his breath.

Johnny gives Max another toothy grin and ruffles Max’s (currently) exposed hair. “I’ll be fine.”

Max rolls his eyes but he lets Johnny mess with his hair. “Did you win at least?”

“You betcha.”

Max looks Johnny up and down, eyes pausing at the band-aids on Johnny’s hands and the bruises forming around his face and arms. “Then why do you look like you’ve been through a food processor?”

This just makes Johnny’s grin stretch wider, until almost all of his teeth are showing. “You should see the other guys.”

Max pauses for a second, trying to make sure he had heard Johnny right. “Guys? Multiple!”

Johnny’s impish-borderline-satanic grin drops and his face becomes one of confusion. “Yeah. West Hill Gang. Course, not all of ‘em were there, because I’d be way worse off, or I’d’ve run away. I may like to fight past what people think is “okay”, but I know my limits. Anysides, there was at least three and I beat ‘em all off, even when they ganged up on me like  _cowards_. They all ran like a couple'a babies in that they couldn’t stand on they own two feet for long ‘cause my jacket caught on fire. Again. Which, by the way, I need a new jacket.

“But short story shorter, I won and my jacket’s a bunch of ashes.”

Max sighs heavily and stands up. “C’mon, let’s go tell my dad you’re here. He probably already knows though, cause, y’know, he’s not deaf, and you yelled a lot.”

Johnny rolls his eyes and moves to stand up. “Yeah, yeah, I get it, I’m _loud-_ oof!” He had no sooner been standing than he had fallen against Max, who almost crumpled under the surprise weight.

“What’s wrong?”

Johnny looks down at his feet and the back up at Max and smiles guiltily. “I may have forgotten ta mention. One of the creeps had a bat. Did a number on my leg he did. Which was kinda _why_ my jacket lit up in the first place.”

Max is looking at Johnny with an incredulous expression on his face. “How are you even _alive_ oh my god.” He throws one of Johnny’s arms over his shoulders and puts an arm of his own around his waist. Johnny half-walks half-is dragged back to Max’s room and dumped unceremoniously onto the bed. “You stay there.”

Grumbling to himself all the way down into the store, Max approaches his dad who is currently restocking the soda aisle. “Hello father of mine whom I love dearly, may I ask of you but a simple favor?”

Not looking away from his task, Dad replies, “Sure thing kiddo, whaddya need?”

Speaking quickly as if it would lower the chance of his dad asking questions, Max asks, “Can we take Johnny to the hospital I think he broke something.”

Looking over and appearing more confused than concerned, his dad asks, “How?”

“…Fell from a tree.”

Dad seems to accept that answer, as he shrugs and nods. “Yeah, okay.” He leans over to look at Zoey, who is at the cash register and reading a book. “Hey, Zo, can you watch the store while me and Max and Johnny ride to the hospital?”

Without looking up, Zoey gives a thumbs up.

And so, ten minutes later, the three are in the car, Johnny is taking up the entire back seat with his legs stretched out, and they are making the trip to Mayview Hospital’s ER.

“How far was that fall?” Dad Puckett asks at a red light.

“Eight feet,” Max says at the same time Johnny answers with “Ten feet.”

Max looks back at Johnny, eyes wide. “I thought you said it was _eight_ , Johnny dearest.”

Johnny stares back at Max, eyes just as wide. “I din’t wantcha ta worry, _Mux_. But since yer prolly gonna be there, I figured I oughta tell the truth now.”

Max sighs heavily and turns around, sinking lower into his seat.

The rest of the (fairly short) ride to the ER is spent in silence, other than Max’s dad humming along to whatever was playing on the radio. Once parked, it's up to Max and his dad to lug Johnny over to the front doors. They manage fairly well and set him somewhat roughly in a wheelchair.

After getting everything situated and Johnny is signed in, Max’s dad straightens up, says “Whew! I’m going to the bathroom,” and walks away.

Max looks back over to Johnny to see him with his phone to his ear. “Hey Ma… Yeah I’m okay… At the hospital right now, Mr. Puckett drove…Nah it was those West Hill punks this time…One of ‘em got my leg real bad with a bat. Can’t promise nothin’ on the whole “broken bones” front…Kay, seeya then.” He hangs up and drops the phone into his lap.

“My moms’re comin’ ta pick me up. Said they’d be here in an hour or so, since mom’s still at work and she’s got the car.”

Max nods along to the words. “Okay. You in trouble?”

“Ma said we’ll see. She wants to hear all my “reasons” first.” He rolls his eyes as if the very idea of it was ridiculous and insulting. “I always got reasons for fightin’. And it ain’t just cause I like it. Leastways not anymore.”

Dad comes from the bathroom then, drying his hands on his jeans, so Max and Johnny stop talking about it.

* * *

 Three hours, five x-rays, and a splint and pair of crutches later, Johnny is free to leave.

The mom that Johnny calls Ma steps over and grabs Dad’s hand, shaking it exuberantly. “Thanks for bringing him here. He gets himself into a lot of predicaments, so I’m glad there was an adult around for this one.”

Dad grins back, shaking Ma’s hand with just as much energy. “Oh, no problem, I’m always happy to help, and really, Johnny may as well be part of the family with how often he’s over.”

Mom walks over and joins the conversation, so Max drifts away towards Johnny. “Do you think it’s broken?” he asks, nodding to Johnny's splinted leg and sitting down.

Johnny shrugs. “Prolly. Hurts pretty bad even with the pain meds.”

Max leans over conspiratorially and says, “There should be some doctopi floating around somewhere. They’ll help with the pain.”

“Meh. I’ll be fine. Had worse pain.”

“When?”

“Chipped a tooth real bad when I was ten and I dealt with that for around three months, and when we _finally_ went to get it fixed up I woke up in the middle a surgery. Punched th’ dentist.”

Max nods. That seems like Johnny.

“Time to go Johnny,” Ma says several long minutes later. And go he does, bickering with his moms the entire time.

“Mom, I toldja, I’m _fine_.” Johnny insists, struggling just a bit with the crutches.

“You know, you keep saying that, and somehow, I keep not believing you!”

Max can almost hear all the eye rolling being done.

 

Hours later, in his bed, an idea comes into Max’s head.

 **MAXIMUS, 12:33:** you know, when ur leg heals, you should try kickboxing

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked that! now prepare for some links
> 
> i got the general idea of it and a good chunk of dialogue from [this](http://memeasaurus-promptus.tumblr.com/post/167347561044/post-fight-sentence-starters) post on tumblr and the Johnny-has-2-moms headcanon and also that he uses the nickname mux are from [bullymagnet](https://bullymagnet.tumblr.com/) on tumblr, [PaxCallow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaxCallow/pseuds/PaxCallow) on here. If you want to find my tumblr it is [hckin-nerd](http://hckin-nerd.tumblr.com/)
> 
> have a good day


End file.
